Hangingwall deformation above inverted 3D listric fault systems - Insights from experiments and section-balancing techniques

Fault geometry is a primary control on hangingwall deformation. In this study, a series of inversion analogue experiments was conducted by using rigid fault surfaces of spoon-like true 3D geometries. The hangingwall geometry on serial sections of the experiments was then examined with conventional 2D geometric models. The deformation geometry of the hangingwall has an along-strike variation corresponding to the 3D geometry of the underlying detachment. The apparent shear plane inclination and the estimated shortening also show a systematic change along strike. These changes suggest that the hangingwall displacement had an along-strike element during deformation; the hangingwall material moves from the regions above salients to those above embayments in the detachment surface during contraction. The data presented in this paper help us understand 3D geometric relations between the hangingwall deformation and the underlying detachment surfaces.